


Jaegersdottir

by PFDiva



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Schmoop, Teen Pregnancy, Trans Male Character, lying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-25 18:38:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16666096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PFDiva/pseuds/PFDiva
Summary: A young woman comes to Mechanicsburg, seeking asylum for herself and her baby.





	Jaegersdottir

**Author's Note:**

> A few minor edits have been made for clarity, but shh, don't mind those.

Carlotta trudges into Mechanicsburg on tired, swollen feet, following the merchant's caravan and not expecting to be challenged. The merchants are allowed to pass and she finds herself under sudden scrutiny by a contingent of jaegers. Her hair stands on end and her arms protectively come around her swollen belly.

One of the jaegers swagger forward. This one has a lot of cleavage and a hat covered in fruit, "Vot is hyu doink, my dear?"

Carlotta wants to cry. Mechanicsburg can repel any enemy, but why would anyone think twice about one lone girl? She takes a hesitant half step back, suddenly regretting the impulse that brought her here.

One of the merchants has noticed Carlotta's absence and turns back, offering the lie she gave them.

"The father's a jaeger."

The jaeger in the fruit hat looks at the merchant, a woman by the name of Monique, then at Carlotta.

"Jaeger, hah?"

Carlotta nods. It's a small, timid motion, more a jerk of her head than any attempt at communication. The jaeger's demeanor softens, a startling thing to see.

"Hyu haz come to find hyu baby's poppa?"

Another head-jerk sort of nod.

"How old iz hyu darlink?"

"Seventeen," Carlotta lies, and when the jaeger eyes her suspiciously, she looks down, "Fifteen." That's a lie, too, but it's closer to the truth than seventeen, at least.

The fruit hat jaeger moves away, "Hyu iz findink her good place to learn sum tings?"

"I thought the Lady Heterodyne might be willing to help." Monique sounds like she regrets speaking up for Carlotta, but she's already in now.

"Goot. Tek her dere NOW." The fruit hat jaeger sounds angry and Carlotta continues to stare at the ground.

A careful hand curls around her elbow. She looks up to find Monique bringing her away from the gate jaegers. All of them watch Carlotta with piercing eyes, some hanging over the edge of the wall to do it. She should have known better. She's going to her death and she's certain they know it.

The Lady Heterodyne is a pretty spark covered in grease stains, humming in tune with a girl not much older than Carlotta herself, maybe thirteen or fourteen. Neither of them notice her, or Monique, who's brought Carlotta into the bakery the pair are apparently working on repairing.

The one who notices Carlotta is a red-haired man in glasses that perch on his nose and somehow don't fall off, even though they don't have arms. He greets Monique by name, and she has a brief, apparently amiable conversation with him while Carlotta tries to decide if she should run.

All of a sudden, the man is offering Carlotta his hand in greeting, "My apologies. My name is Tarvek, and you are...?"

Carlotta shakes his hand, "Carlotta."

"Lovely to meet you," he replies, lifting her knuckles to his lips and smiling. Her knees go a little weak and she can't help but smile back.

"I didn't mean to bother you or the Lady, sir. The jaegers, they made Monique bring me here. I'm sure I don't mean to impose."

"It's no imposition at all," he assures her, his gaze briefly falling to her belly, "The father was a jaeger, Monique tells me?"

Carlotta curls her free hand over her belly, "I'm from the Wine Pass area."

There's briefly something sharp in Tarvek's eyes as he exchanges a glance with Monique. There is a conversation in his look, and in the way Monique grimaces and gives him a little nod. It all happens in a few seconds, and then he smiles at Carlotta again, nodding his understanding, "I see! Excuse me a moment, I think the Lady needs to know about you."

Carlotta panicks. If the jaegers didn't know, then surely the mistress of jaegers will be able to tell and she holds up placating hand, "No, really, that's not necessary--!"

"Noone will get in trouble, least of all you," he replies, his voice unfairly sweet and soothing. He turns away from Carlotta and she isn't sure what's going on, but the hand of the girl next to the Lady suddenly shoots out to catch something that apparently nearly hit the Lady in the back of the head. The motion interrupts the girl's humming and immediately introduces a discordance that causes the Lady to stop as well. She looks at the girl, who opens her hand to reveal something small and metal, then at Tarvek.

"Did you need me or her?"

Tarvek gestures at Carlotta, "I need you. Lily can handle it on her own."

"It's easier with mama," Lily protests, but the Lady gives the girl a reassuring squeeze that makes Carlotta's heart ache. She misses her family so much. Lily turns back to what she was working on while the Lady comes over to speak with Tarvek.

"Who is this?" Lady Heterodyne asks, thoughtfully peering at Carlotta.

"Her name is Carlotta," Tarvek answers, "She is from Wine Pass and a jaeger fathered her child."

Lady Heterodyne looks at Tarvek and there is another moment of silent conversation before she looks at Carlotta again, beaming, "Welcome to Mechanicsburg! Do you know any trades?"

"I know a little about herbs, ma'am," Carlotta squeaks out.

"For cooking or medicine?"

"Medicine."

The Lady gives a decisive nod and looks at Monique, "Take her to the Great Hospital. I'm sure they can put her skills to use."

It turns out they can.

They can put her skills to use a lot, and they teach her a lot, and they somehow manage to do it without her having to be on her feet for the end of her pregnancy. She tells everyone who asks that her child's father was a jaeger and everyone looks sort of angry about it for reasons she can't quite understand.

After two months, her water breaks and it's time for her to give birth. She has never endured anything so exhausting or so painful, but in the end, both she and her daughter survive.  She names the child Bella.  Beautiful.

It is somewhat alarming, as Bella ages, how interested in her jaegers seem to be. They just sort of like her. They never become less terror-inducing for Carlotta, but she's forced to conquer that impulse because Bella adores them.  It helps that when they visit, they bring gifts of clothing and shoes, sometimes food or nappies.  Never a lot, but somehow always exactly what Carlotta needs.

After seven years, Carlotta begins to date. He's a nice boy who works with an assistant to the seneschal, so he's destined for good things. Carlotta is quickly working her way towards head minion in the Great Hospital, so she's doing well for herself, too.

Now, usually when anyone asks Carlotta which jaeger is Bella's father, she demurs by saying she can't remember his name and the conversation ends there. Augustus, however, grew up in Mechanicsburg, and she's been telling him stories about her trip to Mechanicsburg. He asks her a vital question: "What did he look like?"

"He was green," Carlotta decides on the fly, "And furry." She's never seen a green, fuzzy jaeger before. Probably one doesn't exist. Then she kisses Augustus to try and distract him, and it works.

When Bella is ten, Carlotta and Augustus get married. It's supposed to be a small ceremony, but half the jaegers in town insist that since Bella's their niece, they get to attend as well. It is silly and touching and Carlotta again feels a twinge of guilt. Mostly she feels delighted.

Until the pastor asks if anyone objects and someone does.

Lord David Richardson from Wine Pass. He wasn't Lord when she left, but he is now. Carlotta feels the blood draining from her face as he declares Bella to be his child, Carlotta his runaway bride, long hidden in Mechanicsburg, and he insists that both be returned to him _immediately._

Tears well up in Carlotta's eyes. After a decade of freedom, she'll be forced to go back. Back to a place where Maiden's Weed is burned on sight and no woman could be assistant to the chief minion of the hospital.

"Ho, iz dot vot hyu tink iz heppening?"

There's a jaeger over in the corner, where Carlotta hadn't noticed him amid the others. As he steps closer to Lord Richardson, she realizes that the jaeger is green. Fuzzy. Oh gods, not this on top of everything.

Carlotta looks at Augustus, who is furious and shaking, and she reaches out to take his hand, "Augustus, I have to tell you something--"

"Bella iz MY little girl," the green jaeger declares, causing Carlotta's head to whip around in disbelief.

"And if hyu tink hyu is taking my daughter avay, hyu iz not tinking vit hyu brains at all."

Carlotta goes to the jaeger, whom she's never met or seen before in her life, "Herr Jaeger--"

"Dimo," he interrupts, curling a finger under her chin, "Hy neffer told hyu, deed Hy? Iz verra irresponsible."

"For shame!" another jaeger shouts, making Dimo smile down at Carlotta. She can't smile back. He looks at Lord David, and his smile turns unpleasantly toothy.

"Hyu iz not gonna call me a liar, iz hyu?"

Carlotta looks and Lord David has realized Just How Many Jaegers are in the room, He turns apopleptic red, then turns and storms off. Carlotta looks at Dimo again.

"Herr Jaeger--"

"Daddy?" Carlotta is interrupted by Bella, who's come down from her place at the altar to look at Dimo. He squats for a better look at her.

"Ho, hullo dere darlink. Hyu is pretty as hyu mamma. Hy iz so sorry hy neffer visit. Hy vent verra far avay and hyu mamma could not tell me about hyu."

Bella looks at Carlotta, who feels the eyes of the entire church on her. Augustus takes her hand and she looks at him, on the verge of tears, speechless.

"Vhy is hyu crying?" Dimo asks, looking up from where he's squatted, "Hyu has soch a pretty daughter and hyu is marryink a verra ree spawn see bowl hyung man and hyu gets to see me again."

"I can still adopt Bella," Augustus adds, his expression gentle and kind, "Everyone knows you can't put a jaeger on the birth certificate."

"Hyu just let us know hyu iz part of de family," Dimo adds.

And it suddenly strikes Carlotta, like a lightning bolt. He knows Bella isn't his. He knows, the other jaegers know, and they've always known.  Dimo sees the realization on her face and nods at Augustus, who cradles her cheek in his hand, looking up at her with an understanding gaze.

"Bella has lots of cousins from Wine Pass.  Perhaps she can meet them someday?"  That rocks Carlotta to her core.  She wasn't the first to tell such a lie.  She wasn't even the first from Wine Pass.  She suddenly remembers all the quiet anger around her when she mentioned being from Wine Pass.  Of course people knew about Lord Richardson, and his son after him.  They all knew, and they protected her, took her in.  She owes the Lady so much.

Fresh tears bubble out as Carlotta buries her face in Augustus' hair. He's shorter than her and a little bit of a construct, but she knew that long ago.  "I'm just so happy," she admits in belated answer to Dimo's question.

The rest of the wedding goes without a problem and Dimo gets to know "his" daughter. Someday in the future, Carlotta will tell Bella the truth.  She watches Bella wrestle a jaeger and then thinks maybe not.  Who knew what the future held?  But today?  Today, she gets to be happy.


End file.
